Royal Reels: Gambling

Family History

BUTTERWORTH BROTHERS CO., MERCHANTS, CASTLEMAINE, VICTORIA & N.Z.

The folded 1856 ‘entire’ letter is franked with the QV 4d rose Victorian pair of the ‘Emblems’ stamps on wove paper (SG 83), tied by the ‘killer’ barred numeral ‘1′ of Melbourne, and it is addressed to Messrs Butterworth Bros., Merchants, Castlemaine (Figure 1). The red sealing wax is accompanied by an originating MELBOURNE/ D/ SEP 3/ S9 as well as an arrival postmark in September at Castlemaine, Victoria (Figure

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DAVID HASTIE HARVEY, MANAGER of TATTERSALL’S & FAMILY, TASMANIA

This cover was addressed to Master Horace Harvey, Manresa, Lower Sandy Bay, Hobart, Tasmania. It was probably overweight as the strip of four green ‘HALFPENNY Bantam Postage’ stamps of Victoria were insufficient postage. They were cancelled with the duplex ST. KILDA/ JL 4/ 07/ VICTORIA with the barred numeral ‘78′, and the oval tax marking of 4D was partially obscured by the vertical pair of the green 2 PENCE Postage Due

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DALTON BROTHERS, HUMBLE BEGINNINGS, from & to DUNTRYLEAGUE

Two relatively unpretentious covers dated 27 years apart reveal, on their reverse, how the fortunes of the Dalton Brothers changed from humble beginnings in Ireland to riches in New South Wales. The first cover, a printed to private order envelope with the embossed blue 1d ‘Emu’ stamp of N.S.W. was postmarked with the duplex SYDNEY/ FE 11/ 11-A M/ 95/ 36 and was addressed to a firm in Melbourne (Figure

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DENNYS, LASCELLES & CO., GEELONG WOOL MERCHANTS

The 1876-81 1d ‘Bell’ postcard was postmarked with the duplex GEELONG and B.N. ‘2′ with an indistinct date, and it was addressed to Messrs Peterson, Lane & Co. Melbourne (Figure 1). The reverse has a short printed message: Dennys, Lascelles & Co., Geelong, will Sell by Auction on TUESDAY NEXT, at Two o’Clock, WOOL 17/ 10/ 78 and there is a reception postmark MELBOURNE / 4X/ OC 17/ 78 (Figure

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EDWARDS, DUNLOP & CO. LTD, SYDNEY & MELBOURNE

The cover has a ms. ‘Late fee added’ and a boxed PACKET-BOAT, with 2 copies of the green ‘THREE PENCE’ stamps of New South Wales, canceled with a multi-ringed N.Z. postmark of Dunedin, but the date is not legible.. The vendor describes the date as 188(?). The cover is addressed to The Proprietors, Bradshaw Publishing Co., Dunedin , New Zealand (Figure 1). The reverse clearly identifies the sender as EDWARDS

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HADLEY. J.C. & FAMILY HOTEL: ANTARTIC EXPLORERS, RUSSIAN PRINCE & ERROL FLYNN

This purposely provocative title is an attention grabber, and yet another two names should be added to the title, but this would be cumbersome. The cover that prompted this paper had an unlikely history that follows. The cover was addressed to Mr. Hadley, Orient Hotel, Hobart, Tasmania and the two red ‘ONE PENNY SHIELD’ stamps of New South Wales were each cancelled with a copy of the ‘Rays 455′ of Murwillumbah

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GEORGE BRUCE, SHEEP BREEDER, LOOMBAH STATION, YULLUNDRY

I have seen 10 covers addressed to George Bruce over the past 2 years, and it has taken me all this time to come up with a coherent story about him. In the meantime, I had destroyed most of the scans. Recent covers have kindled my interest again, and my search led me to a researcher for Molong Historical Society and thence to Joan Marriott’s book The Crossroads. The History of

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G. & W. SHIERLAW, MERCER, TAILOR/OUTFITTER: S.A. “FRONTS ONLY”

Is there a stamp collector of South Australian and Northern Territory covers, that has not seen “fronts only” applied to covers addressed to Shierlaw & Co., sometimes with ‘Tailor’ in the address, at Hindley Street, Adelaide? The use of South Australia colonial stamps spread into the time period of the use of the red 1d KGV stamp, and this ‘Squared Circle’ postmark of CHARRA/ SE 8/ 15/ S.A is such

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HIGGINS FAMILY, BURNT OAK, CURRENCY CREEK, S. A.

The E-bay seller had more than 40 covers posted to several family members over a period of 50 years. The present cover was addressed to Mrs. H.M. Higgins, Burnt Oak, Currency Creek, South A/lia with a Melbourne/ -2 AP-6-P/ 1925 postmark, with a complete roller cancel: BRITISH EMPIRE EXHIBITION/ ALWAYS ASK FOR/ AUSTRALIAN PRODUCTS, on a KGV 1½d red stamp (Figure 1). There was no postmarking on the reverse. The

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JESSE FRENCH PIANOS, U.S.A. – A CONNECTION to AUSTRALIA

Two covers sent from Sydney to a piano manufacturer in New Castle, Indiana, USA prompted this paper. The first had embossed octagonal KGV heads of the 1d red and the ½d green as well as an affixed 1½d brown KGV head stamp, making a total of 3d postage. The stamps had a roller cancellation of SYDNEY/ JE 9/ 1919/ 1015AM/ N.S.W. The sender’s name is rubber stamped in purple, at

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